TRUMBULL -- Even Patricia Lungi's blackthorn walking stick isn't very useful when she's making her way around the Stern Village housing complex. With potholes and loose stones every few feet on Hedgehog Circle, Lungi worries constantly that she will trip and fall.

"This is Shamus," she said, referring to the cane. "Shamus cannot help me when I turn my ankle on my good foot. Every year they repair the roads. But it's the myriad rocks that are one to two inches thick that when you step on them you bend your ankle."

Stern Village Executive Director Harriet Polansky knows the conditions of the roads can present a danger to the elderly and disabled who reside there. But she said her hands are tied by the complex's limited budget. With no town, state or federal aid, Polansky depends on tenant rents to get things done.

"That doesn't give you much to work with," she said.

Base rents at the 186-unit complex, which is overseen by the Trumbull Housing Authority, are $110 for studios and $125 for one-bedroom units for those already living in the complex. Under a rent schedule approved last year by the state, new residents will have a base rent of $300 and $310, respectively. About 81 percent of the tenants are paying rents above the baseline, according to statistics released by the authority last summer.

The town has helped the Village over the years, filling potholes when possible, Polansky said. But she said it's the authority's responsibility to resurface the road that winds through the complex.

Six months ago, staffers met with the town engineer to determine the cost of repaving the road and upgrading the entire complex, which has not been updated since it was built in the 1970s, said Neil Gerhardt, the village's financial consultant. The estimate came to $1.1 million.

They are now in talks with the Millenium Group, a real estate company based in Rocky Hill that provides construction management services, for help in finding grant funding to cover the costs of the renovation.

"My priority is the safety and stability of Stern Village," Polansky said.

Linda Nassrah, vice chairwoman of the authority board, said it doesn't make sense to pave the road before other improvements are complete. "We're going to be going ahead with a big renovation project, so the thing is, do you really want the roads done first?" she said, noting that heavy equipment would be on site during the project.

But residents are concerned that waiting may lead to serious injuries.

John Vogele, who moved into the village last year, said the road is a hazard to both pedestrians and drivers. "When you drive, you hit potholes," he said. "You're almost in danger going through it. They are poor. They need to be done, and funding has to come soon because it's a danger."